This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer!  The weather will stay warm, pools will be open and the kids will be out of school.  This means more time spent outdoor in the sun.  We moved to our current house in the fall last year and didn’t get a chance to break in our backyard properly so we plan on spending a lot of time in the yard this year.   With the Georgia heat in full force, keeping cool is a must!  I’m so grateful to have a covered back patio where I plan to spend a lot of time with my feet up, watching the kids play while I enjoy a nice cool drink.

After living in the south for a decade I slowly started drinking iced tea and Milo’s Tea will be on hand to cool things down.  Milos’s Tea Company is third generation family owned company that was founded in 1946 by Milo and Bea Carlton.  It’s a certified woman owned company which is an added plus! Milo’s Tea is available sweetened with pure can sugar, no calorie and unsweetened options, it’s also fresh brewed, features natural ingredients and has no preservatives or added acids. Milo believes in using high quality, fresh, natural ingredients, listening to you customer and never sacrificing taste; that’s probably why this tea is award winning! I do drink iced tea on its own but it’s also good as part of a cocktail or just a refreshing summer drink! Do you know that you use it to create something new and exciting like my Hibiscus Summer Tea.   I created a summer cocktail using a hibiscus syrup by simmering dried hibiscus flowers(also known as sorrel), sugar, water and slices of orange.   This syrup has the wonderful flavor of sorrel with a hint of orange – I mixed it with the Milo’s Tea and a splash of seltzer just to give it a bubbly elementI have a long bucket list for the summer, not only for my kids but for myself and one thing that’s at the top of my list is to entertain more.  That means more BBQs, play dates, girl’s nights and game nights.  Milo’s Tea is THE beverage for summer meal entertaining and get togethers and will surely find it way onto my table.  I found Milo’s Tea at my local Walmart in the refrigerated juice section but they are available in lots of retailers. Find a store near you by using the store locator.   Be sure to try my unique way of enjoying Milo’s Tea and sorrel by giving my recipe a try!

 

Get the Recipe HIBISCUS SUMMER TEA

Ingredients
 

  • 1/4 cup dried sorrel or hibiscus
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 orange, cut into about 6 slices
  • Milo's Tea
  • Seltzer

Instructions
 

  • Place sorrel, sugar, water and oranges into a small pot a bring to a boil.
  • Allow to simmer for 10 minutes then remove from the heat.
  • Strain to remove the solids then allow to cool completely.
  • To make drink, about 6 oz Milo's Tea to a glass with ice. Top with 2 oz hibiscus syrup and a splash of seltzer. This can be adjusted to suit your taste buds.
Author: Jehan Powell